Climbers push for the top of Mount Everest(Photo: Tshering SHERPA/Getty Images)
After early delays, the climbing season onMount Everestis in full swing. Nepal has issued 492 permits for Everest this season—the most in history. As of the publishing of this story, hundreds of climbers are waiting at Camps II at 21,000 feet and III at 23,000 feet for their chance to be in the first wave to push for the top.
Guides toldOutsidethey anticipate severe crowding on the route over the next few days, as more teams attempt to reach the top during the first weather window. Some expeditions, however, are waiting in Base Camp for a second weather window, which is likely to open around May 17.
Amid the push for the summit, there’s been plenty of other news on the peak.
This post will be updated throughout Mount Everest season to reflect breaking news.
May 28, 6 A.M. MST: Tyler Andrews Claims Speed Records for Ascending Everest
American ultrarunner Tyler Andrews is back in Base Camp after completing a continuous ascent of Mount Everest in record time.
Andrews, 35, climbed from Base Camp to the summit of Everest on May 27, completing the ascent in 9 hours and 55 minutes. He used supplemental oxygen for the journey. On his Website, Andrews claims that the time has shaved 1 hour and 1 minute off of the previous fastest ascent of Everest with supplemental oxygen, which was set in 2003 by Lakpa Gelu Sherpa.
Andrews completed the round trip in 16 hours and 32 minutes, which according to his website, is also a new record.
May 27, 10 A.M. MST: Tyler Andrews Gives It One Last Shot, this Time With Oxygen
With the climbing season rapidly ending on Mount Everest, American ultrarunner Tyler Andrews is trying one final time to set a speed record on the peak. Andrews, 35, departed Base Camp on Wednesday, May 27, looking to ascend the peak and return before Nepali officials close Everest on May 29.
Andrews’ team is updating his progress on aLive Updates page. As of noon on May 27, Andrews had reached Camp III at 23,300 feet.
Andrews has made six attempts to run up Everest and set a Fastest Known Time on the peak dating back to the spring of 2025. In his previous six attempts, he has had to turn back shy of the summit.
For his current attempt, Andrews is climbing with supplemental oxygen. Originally, he had hoped to break the record for ascending and descending the peak without using bottled oxygen.
On May 26, websiteExplorerswebpublished details of Andrews’ attempt earlier in the week. Andrews turned back from Everest at the Balcony, at approximately 27,500 feet. Andrews told the website that he used supplemental oxygen for his failed attempt, and that he boarded a rescue helicopter at Camp II for the descent to Base Camp. Andrews said that he called for a rescue because he was having problems with his vision, and that he hadn’t worn goggles for his ascent.
Andrews final attempt comes as another speed ascent came up short. On May 27, climber Karl Egloff abandoned his attempt to set a speed record for climbing and descending Everest without oxygen. According to his Instagram page, Egloff and his climbing partner, Nico Miranda, turned back after reaching the South Col at 26,000 feet.
“Although we may have been able to summit, we knew the descent would have been too risky due to fatigue, altitude sickness, and my partner not feeling well,” Egloff wrote. “We decided to return to Base Camp nonstop. That’s the mountain: some days you feel strong, others you don’t. What matters most is returning safely.”
May 27, 8 A.M. MST: Total Summits Expected to Surpass 950
Guided expeditions are making their final push toward the summit of Mount Everest on Wednesday, May 27, as the climbing season speeds toward its finale. Officials from Nepal are expected to remove the ladders and ropes in the Khumbu Icefall on Friday, May 29, marking the official end date for the 2026 season on the world’s highest peak.
Amid this last-minute rush, climbing teams are encountering violent winds and frigid temperatures on their way to the top. The calm weather that climbers enjoyed from May 18-23 has been replaced by storms and winds.
While Nepali officials wait for the final teams to descend, officials are predicting this year to be the busiest year in history in summit visits by climbers from the Nepal side. According to Khim Lal Gautam, the spokesperson for Nepal’s Department of Tourism who is stationed in Base Camp, the total number of successful summits is expected to surpass 950. Gautam said that approximately 30 climbers reached the top on May 27, boosting the final count to its historic numbers.
Among the final wave of climbers to reach Everest’s summit were several mountaineering celebrities and record chasers. Norwegian climber Kristin Harila reached the top on May 27 to complete her “Everest Trip Crown” challenge of ascending Everest, Lhotse, and Nuptse in the same season. Harila, 40, initially had hoped to climb without supplemental oxygen, but she switched to oxygen for the ascents of Lhotse and Everest.
Accompanying Harila was Nepali guide Mingtemba Sherpa, who also notched the Triple Crown, as well as his second Everest summit of 2026.
Nepali climber Mingma David Sherpa also reached the top on May 27 after ascending directly from Base Camp without any acclimatization rounds. Mingma David is a member of Nepal’s Federal Parliament.
Chinese climber Gexi Luori summited both Everest and Lhotse twice in a single season—a new record. American climber Justin Sackett, attempting Mount Everest without supplemental oxygen on his first expedition to the mountain, turned around below the Hillary Step and has returned to Camp III according to his GPS tracker.
May 26, 7 A.M. MST: Tyler Andrews Turned Back on his FKT Attempt
Over the weekend, American trail runner Tyler Andrews made his first 2026 attempt at breaking the speed record for climbing Mount Everest from the Nepal Base Camp without the use of supplemental oxygen.
Andrews, 35, departed Base Camp at 8 A.M. Nepal time on Saturday, May 23. According to alive updates pageon his personal Website, Andrews sped through the Khumbu Icefall, along the Western Cwm, up the Lhotse Face to Camp III at 23,300 feet. Due to high winds, he switched to using bottled oxygen and continued past Camp IV at 26,000 feet toward the summit.
But Andrews turned around at 7 P.M. somewhere between the Balcony at 27,500 feet and the summit. He descended the peak and reached Base Camp at 9 A.M. Nepal time on Sunday, May 24. “Today doesn’t seem to be the day unfortunately. More details to follow soon,” reads the update page.
In 2025 Andrews made five attempts at the Everest speed record: three in the spring and two in the fall. He came extremely close to reaching the top ahead of the record, but was repeatedly turned back by bad weather, deep snow, or gear failure. During his first attempt, Andrews was ahead of FKT pace when the zipper on his alpine mountaineering boots broke, allowing snow and ice to get into his feet.
Andrews is not done with his 2026 expedition. According to his live updates page, he istargeting a second attempt on Wednesday, May 27.
May 22, 8 A.M. MST: Two Dead on Mount Everest
Two climbers died onMount Everestin the days after massive crowds reached the top.
Outsidelearned of the fatalities from a liaison officer with Nepal’s Department of Tourism who is stationed atMount Everest Base Camp. Both climbers were clients of the Nepali guiding company Pioneer Adventures.
The deaths marked the first fatalities of the 2026 season involving client climbers.
According toEverest Chronicle,the victims were identified as Arun Kumar Tiwari and Sandeep Are, both of whom are of Indian descent. Quoting Nivesh Karki, the managing director of Pioneer Adventures,Everest Chroniclereported that both died of illnesses—not falls or avalanches—after descending the peak.
Tiwari died late at night on Thursday, May 21, near the Hilary Step on the summit ridge. He died after reaching the summit earlier that day. Sources toldOutsidethat four Sherpa guides were attempting to rescue Tiwari and bring him down to lower elevations at the time of his death.
Are, who also reached the top on May 21, died just above Camp II at 21,000 during his descent. According to reports, Are developed snow blindness and other health problems on his descent and was being rescued by mountain workers at the time of his death.
Outsideoffers our condolences go to the families of both Are and Tiwari in this difficult time.
May 21, 10 A.M. MST: River Ahmad Becomes the First Afghan Woman to Summit
Afghani climber River Ahmad, 30, was among the 150 or so people to reach the summit of Mount Everest on May 21. By doing so, Ahmad became the first woman from Afghanistan to climb the peak.
Earlier in MayOutsideprofiled Ahmadand her unlikely journey from rural Afghanistan to the roof of the world. When she was a teenager she survived a massacre by Taliban fighters. She and her family relocated from Afghanistan to Europe and then to Australia to seek a new life. While living in Australia, she rekindled her love of climbing—a sport she had pursued as a kid living in rural Afghanistan.
May 21, 9 A.M. MST: A Double-Leg Amputee Climbs Everest Without Prosthetics
The extended window of good weather on the summit of Mount Everest continued on Thursday, May 21. The clear skies and lack of winds allowed another massive wave of climbers to reach the top.
Officials from Nepal’s Department of Tourism toldOutsidethat more than 150 climbers, guides, and mountain workers reached the summit on May 21. The officials did not have an exact count as of 9 A.M. MST. Among the wave of climbers were several mountain athletes with impressive stories.
A Russian climber named Rustam Nabiev was among the group to reach the top. Nabiev is a double amputee, and climbs without the use of prosthetic legs. He propels himself up the mountain predominantly with his arms and ice axes, scooting himself across ladder bridges and up steep slopes one arm pull at a time.
Here’s a video of Nabievcrossing the Khumbu Icefall earlier in the season.
According toEverest Chronicle,Nabiev earned glob al acclaim in 2021 when he ascended 26,781-foot Manaslu and became the first double-leg amputee to climb the peak without the use of prosthetics.
May 20, 10 A.M. MST: Check Out This Conga Line on the Lhotse Face
The huge gaggle of climbers that reached the summit of Mount Everest on May 20 have spent the last few days ascending the peak from Base Camp. Typically climbing teams spent three days climbing past the lower camps on the mountain before making a push for the summit from Camp IV at 26,000 feet.
On May 18, Nepali guide Dawa Temba Sherpa took a video of the huge wave as it ascended the Lhotse Face above Camp III at 23,300 feet.
The Lhotse Face is one of the steepest sections of the climb, and each year it produces dramatic photos of climbers waiting in so-called “conga lines” up the face. The queues are caused by the steep slope and the narrow pathway as it ascends over the Yellow Band and up to the Geneva Spur.
Climbers cannot pass each other due to the severity of the incline, so instead they trudge up the mountainside together toward Camp IV.
May 20, 8:30 A.M. MST: The Biggest Wave of Climbers in Nepal’s History
The crowd on Mount Everest’s summit on Wednesday, May 20, was huge. How big? According to officials with Nepal’s department of tourism, it was historic.
Government officials toldOutsidethat 258 climbers reached the top throughout the day.Update: on May 21 officials recalculated the count to 270 climbers.
That’s the most number of climbers ever to reach the summit in the same day when climbing from Nepal. Officials said there have been bigger days on Everest’s peak—on May 23, 2019, more than 300 people reached the top—however climbers reached the top that year while climbing from both from Nepal and China.
Preliminary reports, however, say that there were no fatalities or serious injuries amid this massive wave of climbers to push into the Death Zone. That’s an amazing development, considering the narrow and precipitous nature of the route in some areas along the summit ridge.
We knew that crowds of this size on Everest’s summit could occur in 2026. Nepal issued 492 permits to climbers in 2026, the most ever. This figure only represents paying clients—it does not include the guides, mountain workers, and climbing Sherpas who lead the expeditions and help clients up the mountain. Some operators maintain a 1:1 guide-to-client ratio. So the true number of people on Mount Everest this year is likely approaching 1,000.
So, the big question for Everest climbers after such a massive day is,what was it like to wait in the line to actually stand on the top?Everest climbers will be making their way down to lower camps, and on to Base Camp, over the next two days. We can’t wait to ask them.
May 19, 7:30 A.M. MST: Bartek Ziemski Skis Mount Everest Without Oxygen
Polish ski mountaineer Bartek Ziemski is at it again.
On May 18, wepublished a short profile on Ziemski, the alpine climber and skier (and occasionally employed software engineer) who lives in his van while attempting to ski the world’s highest peaks. Earlier in May, Zienski recorded a historic first ascent and ski descent of 27,940-foot Lhotse without supplemental oxygen.
On May 19, Ziemski summited Everest and then skied all the way down to Base Camp. He did the entire mission without supplemental oxygen, becoming just the second person to do so. In the fall of 2025, another Polish mountaineer, Andrzej Bargiel, recorded the first no-oxygen ascent and descent of Everest on skis. Bargiel, who is sponsored by Red Bull, had a sizable support team, as well as a film crew documenting his every move on the peak.
That’s not the case with Ziemski. The 37-year-old has quietly completed his impressive climbing and skiing feats with little fanfare or media attention. He does not maintain an Instagram page, and he does not have sponsors splashing his achievements across the Internet. Ziemski climbed Lhotse and Everest without support staff—he hauled his gear up to the higher camps by himself. He’s attempting to climb and then ski all of the world’s 14 peaks above 8,000 meters without using supplemental oxygen.
Accordint toExplorersweb,Ziemski has now done nine of the 14: Broad Peak and Gasherbrum II, Annapurna, Dhaulagiri, Kangchenjunga, Makalu, Manaslu, Everest, and Lhotse.
May 18, 8:30 A.M. MST: A Dramatic Helicopter Rescue Saves a Life on Mount Everest
In the early evening of May 18, we witnessed an emergency helicopter rescue of a climber from Mount Everest. According to radio communications, a woman from Nepal climbing with outfitter 8K Expeditions needed to be saved from Camp II at 21,000 feet. The woman fell approximately 65 feet into a crevasse and sustained serious injuries in the fall.
Update:According toThe Tourism Times,the climber is Upsana Gurung.
Guides and mountain workers from 8K Expeditions and Furtenbach Adventures worked together to extract Gurung from the crevasse and get her to safety. Among the rescuers were Nepalis Dawa Jangbu Sherpa, Pastenji Sherpa, Ashok Lama, Dawa Temba, Sange Sherpa, as well as Valentyn Supavin from Ukraine. Once Gurung was in Camp II, crews radioed for a helicopter extraction. A helicopter piloted by Nepali captain Bibek Khaka with Altitude Air picked Gurung up and took her to Base Camp just before sunset. As of the publishing of this report, Gurung had been taken to lower altitude to seek medical care.
Helicopter pilots have recorded several rescues throughout 2026. In 2025, helicopter pilots completed multiple high-altitude rescue missions at Camp II and Camp IIIat 23,000 feet. These rescues are extremely dangerous, due to the thin air and tricky winds and conditions above Base Camp. Pilots fly specialized helicopters that have been designed to operate in extreme altitudes. But the higher camps on Mount Everest are near the operational ceiling for most helicopters, requiring pilots to have steady hands and calm nerves.
May 18, 8 A.M. MST: On Lhotse, A Flurry of Summits on a Historic Anniversary
While the lion’s share of climber’s in Mount Everest Base Camp in 2026 are targeting the world’s highest peak, there is also a collection who are here to ascend 27,940-foot Lhotse, the world’s fourth-highest peak. Located directly adjacent to Everest, Lhotse is also accessible via the standard Western Cwm (pronounced “coom”) route that goes through the Khumbu Icefall.
On May 18, approximately 25 climbers reached the summit of Lhotse. The timing of their ascent has historic significance—May 18, 2026 is the 70th anniversary of the first ascent of the peak. Swiss mountaineers Erst Reiss and Fritz Luschsinger first ascended it in 1956, just three years after Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary became the first people to summit Everest.
Among the climbers to reach the top on May 18 included German mountaineer Anja Blacha, who completed the ascent without the use of bottled oxygen. Blacha has now climbed 13 of the 14 peaks above 8,000 meters without oxygen. She has one remaining: Shishapangma in Tibet. Another climber to reach the top was Sanu Sherpa, who is attempting to climb all of the 14 peaks three times each.
May 18, 7 A.M. MST: Another Big Day for Mount Everest Summits
We’ve heard through radio communications that Monday, May 18 was another busy dan on the upper reaches of Mount Everest. Amid clear skies, with very little wind, another major wave of climbers reached the summit. While we’re waiting for an official count, the estimate is that an additional 84 climbers reached the summit throughout the morning and day. As of the publishing of this report, no deaths occurred during the first two major days at the top, May 17-18.
A few expedition operators placed sizable groups on the top. Climbing the Seven Summits, operated by American climber Mike Hamill, got 24 people to the top. Nepali outfitter Seven Summit Treks saw 22 climbers top out, and 14 Peaks Expeditions, another Nepali outfitter, had 24 climbers reach the summit. 8K Expeditions and Altipro, two other Nepali outfitters, also sent sizable groups to the top. These numbers include paying climber clients, guides, and mountain workers.
Among the group to reach the top on May 18 was Pa Dawa Sherpa, who reached the top for the 30th time in his career as a guide. Pa Dawa Sherpa, who was working with outfitter Seven Summits Treks, is second on Mount Everest’s all-time summit list behind Kami Rita Sherpa, who completed his 32nd ascent on May 17.
May 17, 5 A.M. MST: The First Major Summit Wave of 2026
A sizable group of climbers reached the summit of Mount Everest on Sunday, May 17, after taking advantage of the first substantial weather window on the peak. According to a representative from Nepal’s Department of Tourism, 83 climbers topped out on May 17.
According to outfitter 8K Expeditions, a Nepal guiding company, 16 clients and climbers topped out. But among the climbers to reach the top on May 17 are two record-holders: Kami Rita Sherpa and Lhakpa Sherpa, both of whom hold the title for most summits by a man and woman.
Kami Rita Sherpa, who is 56, completed his 32nd ascent of the peak while guiding for Seven Summits Treks, a Nepali outfitter. Lhakpa Sherpa, who was the subject of the 2024 documentaryMountain Queen,completed her 11th trip to the top. According toEverest Chronicle,Lhakpa Sherpa was also guiding a client on the mountain when she reached the top.
Another record-chasing climber, Kristin Harila of Norway, completed her ascent of 25,791-foot Nuptse, a peak adjacent to Mount Everest, the first leg of her Everest Triple Crown attempt: climbing Nuptse, Lhotse, and Everest. Harila completed the first ascent on May 17 without the use of supplemental oxygen, and said via the radio that she was extremely tired from the climb.
May 16, 7 A.M. MST: The Winds Have Died Down and Climbers Are Ready to Go
The winds of fortunate have finally changed for climbers on Mount Everest.
The jet stream winds that have battered the summit since May 13 have finally lifted, and the weather report for the upper reaches of the mountain are clear. According to officials in Base Camp, a sizable wave of climbers made it to the South Col on Saturday, May 16. This first big wave of climbers and guides will likely depart for the summit late on May 16 and attempt to reach the top in the early hours of May 17. Our experts are estimating there to be 80 or so climbers in this wave.
Anytime that many people hits the Everest route, bottlenecks and traffic jams are bound to appear. We expect some dramatic photos of long queues of climbers along the West Ridge to hit social media later in the week. But the weather report is calling for favorable conditions on Everest for an extended few days. And guides and operators in Base Camp are adjusting their schedules to fit this period of calm. Thus, the first summit wave may not be as big as it could have been, with more teams waiting for later in the week to ascend.
Among this first wave of climbers are Kristin Harila, who will attempt to reach the top of Nuptse on May 17, and Kami Rita Sherpa, who is attempting to reach the top for a record 32nd time.
May 15, 9 A.M. MST: Three Climbers Are Safe After a Long Night in the Death Zone
Climbers on Mount Everest are hunkered down in Camps I and II on May 15 as teams await the jet stream winds to calm down on May 17. It’s fairly calm at Base Camp, but you wouldn’t want to be on the summit today, where gusting winds are blasting the mountain.
The news in Base Camp today is all about a happy ending to a dramatic story that played out on the mountain’s upper reaches over the past 24 hours. The details of the situation played out over the official radio channel that guides, expedition operators, and safety personnel monitor throughout the day.
According to the radio transmissions, which went on all night long, here’s what happened. Just three climbers reached the summit on May 14, just before the high winds descended on the peak. All three—two guides and a client climber—were from the expedition company AliPro Adventures.
On the descent, the trio went missing. By midnight Nepal time, they still hadn’t arrived at Camp IV at 26,000 feet, and officials here in Base Camp started to fear the worst. When bad weather hits up high, climbers can deteriorate physically at a rapid pace. It’s when people die.
But the radio crackled with good news in the early hours of May 15. The trio arrived in Camp IV after a 30-hour trip into the Death Zone. Early reports suggest one of the trio was suffering from frostbite. By the end of day May 15, they had made their way down to Camp III at 23,000 feet.
This is a developing story andOutsidewill provide updates when we know more.
May 15, 8 A.M. MST: Cargo Drones Are Back on Mount Everest
Earlier this month,Outsidewrote about thestrange controversy involving Unmanned Aerial Vehicles(UAV) at Base Camp. Since the start of the 2026 climbing season on Everest, a Nepali company called Airlift Technology has been operating a cargo drone service out of Base Camp to ferry gear and oxygen canisters up to Camp I at 19,500 feet via a massive Chinese DJI Flycart UAV.
On May 1, the Nepali government canceled Airlift Technology’s permit to fly, grounding the drones. It was a huge setback for more than a few expedition operators who were counting on the drone service. Then, on May 6, the Nepali government told Airlift Technology that its permit was back on—so long as the paperwork the company filled out cleared.
As an update, the company began operating its drones again starting on May 9. For the last six days, Airlift Technology has completed approximately 20 drone flights a day between Base Camp and Camp I. The company is completing more flights than normal to address the backlog they faced during the shutdown.
But nobody has gotten any word yet aboutwhythe Nepal government canceled the drone flights for a week.
May 14, 8:30 A.M. MST: Three Successful Summits, and Kristin Harila Heads Uphill
The high winds blasting the summit of Mount Everest kept most of teams from venturing above Camp III over the past 24 hours. Sources have toldOutsidethat only a handful of climbers reached the summit of Everest on May 14. A small team comprised of two guides and one client climber from Altipro Adventures made the top.
On May 14, Norwegian climber Kristin Harila departed Everest Base Camp for the first leg of her latest mountaineering challenge: the so-called “Everest Triple Crown.” This adventure is comprised of climbing the highest peaks in the Everest massif: 25,791-foot Nuptse, 27,940-foot Lhotse, and then 29,032-foot Mount Everest. Harila is taking on the challenge without the use of supplemental oxygen.
Harila plans to climb Nutpse and Lhotse back-to-back, before returning to Base Camp to rest and recover. She then intends to climb Everest later in the season.
Harila, 40, rose to fame in 2023 when she climbed the world’s 14 peaks above 8,000 meters (26,000 feet) in record time, completing the peaks in 92 days.
May 14, 7 A.M. MST: More Information About Phura Gyalzen Sherpa, Who Died on May 12
Outsidewas able to speak with the family of Phura Gyalzen Sherpa, the 20-year-old mountain worker who died on May 12 after slipping and falling down the Lhotse Face while working below Camp III. A family representative said that Gyalzen, who hails from the Khumbu region of Nepal, had studied as a monk prior to joining the high-altitude guiding industry. This was his second year working on Mount Everest, and in 2025 he had reached the summit. He had recently returned to Nepal after working for a season as a guide in Austria. The representative told us that the family is besides themselves after his death.
He was the grandson of Ang Rita Sherpa, who climbed Mount Everest ten times without supplemental oxygen.
Gyalzen’s death was the third of the 2026 season on Mount Everest. Two other Nepali mountain workers died from medical events while climbing near Base Camp. Anyone interested in supporting the families of deceased Nepali mountain workers can learn more atThe Juniper Fund, a nonprofit that provides financial support and education opportunities to the families of high-altitude workers who have died.
May 14, 5:30 A.M. MST: How Do You Avoid Crowds on Everest? One Climber Does the “Sheep Watch.”
A sizable group of guides and climbers departed Base Camp on May 14 to begin their summit ascent of Mount Everest. These expeditions are hoping to take advantage of the first major window of calm weather on the peak’s upper flanks, which is expected to begin on May 17. When big groups all head up the peak together—sometimes more than 200 people at a time—the route can get crowded, and bottlenecks and traffic jams can form in the Khumbu Icefall and on the Lhotse Face. Many readers have seen those dramatic images of hundreds of climbers waiting in a massive queue to ascend a slope.
These photos, while dramatic, can distort our view of Everest. Had the photographer been standing in the exact same spot the day before or the day afterward, the route would have been empty.
Irish mountaineerJames McManus, who is attempting to ascend 27,940 Lhotse—the peak directly next to Everest—this season without using supplemental oxygen, has a strategy for avoiding the crowds.
“I do what I like to call, ‘sheep watch,’” McManus said on Instagram. “Everest has this impression that it’s a really busy mountain. But what happens is you have a lot of people out here, so they all to for the first window, and it gets really busy, and people take these sensational shots of Everest that it’s really busy but it’s not actually the case. If you’re willing to wait a couple of days and be patient you can have an awesome day on the summit when it’s not too crowded.”
May 13, 10 A.M. MST: Here’s What High Winds Look Like in the Death Zone
This video, captured by climbing guide and mountain worker Pastenji Sherpa, shows what a windy day looks like on Mount Everest.
Pastenji captured this video on May 12 on the South Col, which is the site of Camp IV at approximately 26,000 feet. Climbers reach Camp IV and traditionally rest for a few hours or an entire day before making the push for the top. But gusting winds make this ascent treacherous and dangerous. And it creates major headaches for the mountain workers who have to build tents and set up camp ahead of the climbers arriving.
May 13, 9 A.M. MST: Everest Climbers Are Racing Mother Nature as High Winds Are Expected
With the route to Mount Everest’s summit now complete, a sizable wave of climbers is waiting at Camp IV at 26,000 feet to push for the summit on May 14.
This wave of climbers is attempting to reach the top before bad weather moves in. According to recent weather reports, dangerously high winds are expected to buffet the upper slopes of Mount Everest by the afternoon of May 14. The winds are expected to last for up to three days.
Extreme winds create deadly conditions for climbers above 26,000 feet. Gusts drive the temperature down, slow the speed of climbers, and also create confusion. Climbers cannot communicate with each other as well, and gusts can blow snow over the foot track along the route.
Conditions are likely to keep climbers off the upper reaches of Mount Everest until May 17, when a sustained weather window is forecast through at least May 21. Experts are anticipating the majority of the 492 permitted climbers to push for the summit during this five-day span.
May 13, 6 A.M. MST: The First Wave of Climbers Reach the Summit
At 10:25 A.M. Nepal time on May 13, a multi-agency team of 12 high-altitude climbers organized by the Expedition Operators Association Nepal (EOAN), the trade group representing guiding companies, reached the summit of Mount Everest for the first time in the 2026 season.
This group was charged with completing the route to the top and fixing safety ropes through the so-called “Death Zone” above Camp IV at 26,000 feet.
The team was a joint effort between multiple expedition agencies, coordinated by Nepal’s Department of Tourism. A separate team from guiding company Imagine Nepal fixed ropes to the Balcony at 27,600 feet, where they were joined by the EOAN team, which completed the final section to the summit.
Seven Summit Treks, which contributed personnel to the rope-fixing teams, wrote on Instagram that fixing teams joined forces overnight after reaching the Balcony at 27,600 feet on May 12, completing the final section via the South Summit to the top. The post noted that the season had brought significant challenges from the outset: delays in the Khumbu Icefall created serious pressure on route-opening and load-carrying operations, with the mission ultimately completed through coordination and teamwork across all operators.
Shortly after the route opened, 16 client climbers from Imagine Nepal reached the summit, including six foreign climbers from China, Norway and Canada. According to theThe Tourism Times, among the first wave of successful summits was a married couple from Norway, Canadian climber Charles-Antoine Lanthier, who summited after surviving stage 4 lymphoma.
In a statement toOutside, Seven Summit Treks Director, Chhang Dawa Sherpa said: “First of all, congratulations to the EOAN rope fixing team and congratulations to the other team member that joined them. I’m very happy the season is now opened on time. We now have almost three weeks to support the record-breaking number of climbers on Mount Everest this year. I want to thank everyone who supported these remarkable efforts this year and I look forward to more teamwork in the future. Good luck to everyone, climb safe and safe descent!”
May 12, 9 A.M. MST: An Audacious Ski Descent of Lhotse
With little fanfare, Polish ski mountaineer Bartek Ziemski left Camp IV on Lhotse at 1 A.M. on May 12, entirely alone, with no Sherpa support, fixed ropes, or supplemental oxygen. You can see ahighlights video of his descent here.
Ziemski, who has been skiing the world’s peaks above 8,000 meters (26,000 feet), broke trail to the summit, arriving just after noon Nepal time. Then, he strapped on the skis he had carried on his backpack and began a descent to Base Camp. He navigated the steep Lhotse Face, picked through the Khumbu Icefall, and crossed crevasses on ladders typically used by climbers, arriving at Base Camp around 4:30 P.M.
“The conditions were okay,” he toldOutside. “I was worried about conditions deteriorating so I pushed and did it quite early.”
According to the Himalayan Database, a website that chronicles accolades in Nepal’s Himalayas, Ziemski is the first person to ski Lhotse without supplemental oxygen. It’s his eighth descent of an 8,000-meter peak.
As for what comes next, he was characteristically understated: “I got the permit also for Everest. And I’m a poor guy, so I can’t say no and go home. So, yeah, I’m gonna try Everest now, too,” he said.
May 12, 6 A.M. MST: An Avalanche Hit Camp I at 21,000 Feet
Several days of heavy snowfall triggered multiple avalanches around Base Camp and Camp I on Sunday, May 10. In anInstagram post, 11-time Everest summiteer Pastemba Sherpa shared images of tents and supplies buried under deep snow after an unexpected avalanche struck the camp of expedition operator Summit Force.
“Our summit force team had got into a terrible avalanche on 10th May… our tents and necessities got all destroyed but by god’s will me and my entire climbing Sherpa brothers were safe.”
Avalanches are common sights at Base Camp and up in the Western Cwm, the top section of the Khumbu Glaicer. Falling snow roars down the steep flanks of the Western Cwm. In previous years, these avalanches have buried tents and even killed climbers. Fortunately, no injuries were reported in any of the avalanches on May 10.
May 12, 5 A.M. MST: A Third Fatality on Mount Everest
At 9 P.M. on May 11, a high-altitude worker named Phura Gyalzen Sherpa fell on the Lhotse Face just below Camp III at 23,600 feet. He died in the fall.
Phura Gyalzen, who was 20, and to rest in a crevasse below the Lhotse Face. He was working for Kaitu Expedition, a Kathmandu-based outfitter. Sources toldOutsidehe had unclipped from the safety rope at the time of the fall.
Phura Gyalzen Sherpa was from Thamo, a village just west of Namche Bazaar in the Khumbu region. He was the grandson of legendary climber Ang Rita Sherpa, known as “the Snow Leopard” for his ten ascents of Everest without supplemental oxygen.
This story is developing. Our thoughts are with his family and community in this difficult time.
May 11, 11 P.M. MST: Rope Fixing Teams Approach the Summit, but Tensions Are High
Tension between acclaimed guide Mingma G and the official rope fixing teams operated by the Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee (SPCC), the group that manages waste on Everest, and the Expedition Operations Association of Nepal (EOAN), the industry group for outfitters, has been a defining thread of the 2026 season.
When the SPCC’s Icefall Doctors and EOAN teams failed to find a safe route through the Khumbu Icefall, Mingma G sent an unofficial group to scout and fix an alternative passage to Camp I, directly contradicting the official verdict that no safe route existed.
While his route was not ultimately the one adopted, his persistence forced a resolution.
The same dynamic is now playing out higher on the mountain. After the official fixing team descended to Base Camp to rest, Mingma G, who is the manager of the expedition company Imagine Nepal, took to Instagram to announce his intention to take over summit rope fixing duties.
“It’s just 8:30 P.M. in Nepal, and a long line of climbers is seen on the Lhotse wall, ferrying loads to the South Col. There will be more climbers in a few hours,” he wrote on May 11. “Imagine this on summit day if we get only one or two weather windows because of late rope fixing to the summit. That’s why we wanted the lead to fix the line to the summit.”
Seven Summit Treks, the largest outfitter on Mount Everest with more than 100 clients, responded by sending additional guides and high-altitude workers up the mountain to help.
By the evening of May 12, a coalition of fixers from multiple expedition companies had combined forces and were pushing past the Balcony at 27,700 feet toward the summit.
